This combo made from undated photos released by the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department shows James Taylor, right, and his wife Samantha. / AP

by USA TODAY

by USA TODAY

STEUBENVILLE, Ohio (AP) - An eastern Ohio father has been sentenced to six months in prison for punishing his three children by forcing them into plastic storage boxes sealed with duct tape and a square cut in the top for air.

The Steubenville Herald-Star reports that James Taylor, 30, was sentenced Thursday and also must serve two years' probation.

Taylor and 26-year-old Samantha M. Taylor, the children's stepmother, pleaded guilty last month to charges including felony child endangerment. She has not yet been sentenced.

Authorities said the children, ages 5, 6 and 8, were crammed into the boxes as punishment June 16 at the family home in Steubenville while the parents went to the grocery store and left two adults with them. A friend arrived and contacted police. The children are now living with other relatives.